Centimeters (cm) and meters (m) are both measurements of distance in the metric system. There are 100 centimeters in every meter, which means that dividing your measurement in centimeters by 100 will convert it to meters. You can make this conversion quick and easy by simply moving the decimal point in your measurement 2 spaces (or “place values”) to the left. Likewise, if you need to convert from meters to centimeters instead, simply move the decimal point 2 spaces to the right!

Interpret “centimeter” as “1/100 meters” when you see it. The prefix “centi-” means “one-hundredth,” so a centimeter equates to 1/100 of a meter. This means that converting from centimeters to meters always involves dividing by 100. Similarly, converting from meters to centimeters always involves multiplying by 100.[1]

Locate the decimal point or inferred decimal point in your starting number. For instance, if your starting measurement is 872.5 centimeters (cm), then the decimal point is clearly located between the 2 and the 5. However, if your starting measurement is 63 cm, then the decimal point is inferred—to make it visible, rewrite the number as 63.0 cm.[2]

The decimal point always appears between the “ones” (to its left) and “tenths” (to its right) place values in a number. In 82.5, for example, 2 is in the ones place and 5 is in the tenths place.

If your starting measurement is written as a fraction, such as 872 ½ cm, rewrite it in decimal form as 872.5 cm. Similarly, 4 ¼ cm equals 4.25 cm, and 4 ⅓ cm is approximately 4.33 cm.

Slide the decimal point 2 spaces to the left. In the case of 872.5, moving the decimal point 2 spaces to the left results in 8.725. This is the measurement in meters, so your answer is 872.5 cm = 8.725 m.[3]

Add zeros to the left as needed when sliding the decimal point. For example, if your starting number is 4.25 cm, there’s only one digit to the left of the decimal point. In this case, add a zero to the left as you slide the decimal point over. Therefore, 4.25 cm = 0.0425 m.[4]

Divide the number of centimeters by 100 for a quick solution. If you don't want to mess around with place value, simply divide the number of centimeters by 100 to figure out how many meters it equals.[5]

For instance, converting from 82.5 to 0.825 involves shifting the decimal point 2 place values to the left, which is the same as dividing by 100.

Multiply the number of meters by 100 for an alternative option. If you need to convert from meters to centimeters instead of the other way around, you must multiply by 100 instead of dividing by 100. As when dividing by factors of 10, the number of spaces (or “place values”) you slide the decimal point equals the number of zeros in the factor of 10 (the divisor). This time, though, you slide the decimal right instead of left.[9]

So, 82.5 x 100 = 8250, with the decimal point shifted 2 places to the right (which is equal to the number of zeros in 100).

Practice doing word problems so you don’t get tripped up. Make sure you don’t move the decimal points the wrong direction when you’re converting from meters to centimeters (or vice versa)! Doing practice word problems is the best way to avoid this mistake. For example: “Henry’s old garden fence is 16 meters long, but the new fencing he wants to buy is sold by the centimeter. How many centimeters of fencing does Henry need?”[10]

You’re converting from meters to centimeters here, so you’ll need to move the decimal point to the right.

Rewrite 16 as 16.0 so you can visualize the decimal point.

Add another zero to the end (16.0 → 16.00) so you can slide the decimal point 2 places to the right.

If you're asking about square centimeters and square meters, there are 10,000 square centimeters in a square meter. Divide the number of square centimeters by 10,000 to get the number of square meters.

Why does converting from meters to centimeters use a different exponent than converting from meters to millimeters?

Donagan

Top Answerer

There are no exponents in this calculation. You merely multiply the number of meters by 100 to get the number of centimeters, and multiply the number of meters by 1000 to get the number of millimeters. The difference stems from the fact that a centimeter is ten times the length of a millimeter.

I want to know how many meters of fabric is required for a curtain (Length 335 cms and width is 240 cms)?

Donagan

Top Answerer

That depends on how much "gathering" you want. If you just want a flat curtain, you'll be covering an area of eight square meters, so you would divide eight square meters by the width of the roll of fabric (in meters). That would give you the total length of the roll of fabric you need (in meters). Allow 10% extra for seams, edges and waste. Any gathering would require additional fabric.

Tips

When you divide by factors of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.), you simply need to slide the decimal point in your starting number to the left. The number of “place values”—what you might call “spaces” or “places”—you need to shift the decimal point always equals the number of zeros in the factor of 10 (the divisor).

To convert CM to M, divide by 100 since there are 100 centimeters in a meter. For example 23 centimeters in 0.23 meters. If you want to get done faster, skip the division and simply move the decimal 2 places to the left to arrive at the same answer of 0.23 meters.